India will ask US to share Abbottabad info

India believes contents from Osama’s mansion could help unravel network of terror groups.

India will ask the US to share the trove of information unearthed by the American forces from Osama bin Laden's hideout mansion in Abbottabad, Pakistan.

New Delhi believes the contents would throw light on the cooperation among various terror outfits including the ones that target India and the terror “machinations” being hatched around the world in a “localised manner”.

The US special forces that hunted down Bin Laden on May 2 took away more than 100 thumb drives, CDs, hard discs of computers, cell phones as well as literature in various languages including in Arabic.

“The decision to approach Washington has been taken… we would like to access information related to India’s crucial national security interest,” a senior government official said.

That Osama's mansion neither had a telephone nor an internet connection makes the seizures "all the more vital," official sources said.

"It is now evident that the terror groups in the region share ideological underpinnings, many of them operate in tandem. Even Afghan authorities have said Lakshar-e-Tayyeba, the outfit behind Mumbai attack, was behind many attacks in that country," the official said, explaining India's interest.

India and US are increasingly agreeing on the threat from the LeT — an outfit conceived to target India and now spreading its wings far and wide.

Officials believe since Laden relied on a 'well-organised courier' system for information as well as sending out instructions, the information unearthed from his hideout could also help explain "the support system" that the terror outfits, including al Qaeda enjoyed in Pakistan.

Doubts have been expressed about how Laden could live in the garrison town of Abbotabad since 2005, without certain sections in the Pakistan establishment not knowing about it.

"The clue to that also lies in the contents of what the US forces have taken away from the house he had been staying in," an official said.

"We have a counter-terrorism cooperation with the US. And it is in the interest of both the countries that they share relevant information with us," he added.